1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging for natural gut sausage casing, and more particularly, to a holder for such casing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The sausage industry has been using a two-piece holder for natural gut casing and the packaging thereof. This two-piece holder is best described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,240, issued Dec. 24, 1963 to Edward Flomen et al. The holder, in accordance with the above United States patent, includes an elongated, flexible, self-supporting, flattened tube having opposed parallel walls. The flattened tube is reinforced by a stiffener insert adapted to be placed in the flattened tube. The flattened tube is disposable, thereby reducing the cost otherwise necessitated by the sanitation of the holder. Reference is made to this United States patent for a description of the particular problems faced when handling natural gut casing and the limitations encountered with conventional packaging for such products.
The two-piece holder is not popular in all markets. For instance, in the Japanese market, a reusable, one-piece, semi-rigid, cylindrical tube is commonly used. However, the tube must be sanitized before it can be reused. The use of such a holder requires that the sausage making plant be close to the supplier of natural gut casing in view of the back-and-forth transportation of the holders.